Thurber Prize for American Humor
Started in 1997, the Thurber Prize for American Humor is the only recognition of the art of humor writing in the United States. A panel of national judges selects the three finalists from a selection of seven or eight semi-finalists. Books submitted for a prize year had to have been published the prior year.
The winner is announced at a special awards ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City where James Thurber once lived. The winner of the prize receives $5,000 and then is the guest entertainment for the annual December Thurber Birthday Gala.
2011: David Rakoff, Half Empty
2010: Steve Hely, How I Became a Famous Novelist
2009: Ian Frazier, Lamentations of the Father
2008: Larry Doyle, I
Love You, Beth Cooper
2007: Joe Keenan, My Lucky
Star
2006: Alan Zweibel, The Other Shulman
2004: Christopher Buckley, No Way to
Treat a First Lady
2001: David Sedaris, Me
Talk Pretty One Day
1999: The editorial staff of the satirical magazine The Onion for
Our
Dumb Century
1997: Ian
Frazier, Coyote v. Acme
Thanks to a family fund of The Columbus Foundation and to the Greater Columbus Arts Council for support of this program.
